On Friday's Real Time show on HBO, liberal comedian Bill Maher was again displaying his more contrary side when he confronted one of his guests, MSNBC contributor and disgruntled former Republican, Steve Schmidt, over how he and other MSNBC Republicans only spending their airtime agreeing with liberals ripping Trump and the Republicans in their many television appearances.
Bemoaning the trend toward news shows exhibiting little difference of opinion in their political discussions, Maher turned to Schmidt and raised the issue as he boasted about his own show's differing opinions:
This is one of the few shows that still has people from both sides of the aisle -- or opinions you may not agree with. Maybe it's the only show left. I mean, MSNBC has conservatives like you, but you are only invited to bring the part of you that is going to say something that the audience already agrees with.
After Schmidt started to agree, declaring, "For sure," Maher added: "You're not going to bring your conservative credentials there."
The MSNBC contributor -- who later clarified that he used to consider himself to be a "moderate Republican" before he switched his party affiliation to Democrat -- gave some insight into the role the Twittersphere plays in getting journalists to pander to liberals as Schmidt recalled: "I've sat on a lot of TV sets where, you go to break, and a lot of the reporters pick up their phone and they look at their Twitter feeds and the invisible mob that polices what's okay to say to stay inside the lines."
Schmidt complained that there is a "crisis of cowardice" as he then tried to pivot to complaining about Republican members of Congress refusing to side against President Donald Trump. Maher jumped in to pull him back into discussing the problem of media "cowardice" in pandering to liberals:
Okay, but isn't it also cowardice to not ever say anything on MSNBC that you really believe, except the things that are going to make that audience go, "Yes!"? I mean, I've watched you and Michael Steele and Rick Wilson and Nicolle Wallace for years, and you have -- you were sane conservatives. I didn't agree with a lot of what you said, but I appreciated that there was a dialogue. Now, you're just somewhere where you're not allowed to -- you only can confirm the One True Opinion.
Leftist commentator Markos "Daily Kos" Moulitsas jumped in to recall that NBC/MSNBC host Chuck Todd has complained about having difficulty finding Republican guests who are willing to defend President Trump -- as if Todd's own belligerent antics aren't a reason. Then Schmidt rationalized his participation in MSNBC political discussions -- ironically, conservatives no longer believe in democracy, that's why MSNBC can't resemble a democracy:
And at the end of the day, right, we have two sides in American politics right now. There's a pro-democracy side, and there's an autocracy side. And I really don't want to debate tax rates when the question of democracy is on the line. And so I think we've seen five years of bat s** insanity, and I think, on that network, it's been -- I haven't been engaged in a policy discussion on American television since 2015 since he ran on any idea, all right.
Maher soon further admonished MSNBC for being short on policy discussions that might showcase a difference of political opinions: "They're on f****** 24/7. Other things do come up if you want to bring them up. They don't want to bring them up. There's crazy s*** going on on the left."
PS: Brent Baker shows Schmidt on the usual One True Opinion rant:
Donald Trump “has the blood of hundreds of thousands of Americans on his hands from his lying, his poisoning of our democracy” – @SteveSchmidtSES on #RealTime pic.twitter.com/yrlCTVuVu1
— Brent Baker (@BrentHBaker) February 13, 2021
Relevant transcript follows:
HBO
Real Time with Bill Maher
February 12, 2021
f0:43 p.m. Eastern
BILL MAHER: This is one of the few shows that still has people from both sides of the aisle -- or opinions you may not agree with. Maybe it's the only show left. I mean, MSNBC has conservatives like you, but you are only invited to bring the part of you that is going to say something that the audience already agrees with. Steve?
STEVE SCHMIDT, MSNBC CONTRIBUTOR: For sure -- well --
MAHER: You're not going to bring your conservative credentials there.
SCHMIDT: I've sat on a lot of TV sets where, you go to break, and a lot of the reporters pick up their phone and they look at their Twitter feeds and the invisible mob that polices --
MAHER: Right.
SCHMIDT: -- what's okay to say to stay inside the lines. And we have a profound problem -- a crisis of cowardice in this country.
MAHER: I agree.
SCHMIDT: Everywhere you look, cowardice. Now, the fact that you have someone who incited insurrection, clear as day -- 10 Republicans vote to impeach him, which is better than zero...
MAHER: Okay, we know about that cowardice. Let's get under --
SCHMIDT: Everywhere you look, cowardice.
MAHER: Okay, but isn't it also cowardice to not ever say anything on MSNBC that you really believe, except the things that are going to make that audience go, "Yes!." I mean, I've watched you and Michael Steele and Rick Wilson and Nicolle Wallace for years, and you have -- you were sane conservatives. I didn't agree with a lot of what you said, but I appreciated that there was a dialogue. Now, you're just somewhere where you're not allowed to -- you only can confirm the one true opinion.
MARKOS MOULITSAS, FOUNDER OF DAILY KOS: It's not just on the media side. I mean, I head Chuck Todd on my podcast, and he was talking about how he was trying to get people to come on to defend Trump to show that side of the question, but they won't go there, right? They don't want to be challenged. It's much safer for them in Fox News land or NewsMax or OAN. So it really, I think, cuts both ways. I think those shows, at the very least, want ideological diversity, but also the problem isn't partisanship. The problem is, people that have given up on the truth cannot even agree that the sky is blue anymore.
SCHMIDT: Right, but it is blue, right?
MOULITSAS: It is blue.
SCHMIDT: And at the end of the day, right, we have two sides in American politics right now. There's a pro-democracy side, and there's an autocracy side. And I really don't want to debate tax rates when the question of democracy is on the line. And so I think we've seen five years of bat s** insanity, and I think, on that network, it's been -- I haven't been engaged in a policy discussion on American television since 2015 since he ran on any idea, all right. I did say something --
MAHER: They don't want to bring it up because you might say something that the audience does not agree with.
SCHMIDT: I think there are more existential issues.
MAHER: There are, but it's not the only issue. They're on f****** 24/7. Other things do come up if you want to bring them up. They don't want to bring them up. There's crazy s*** going on on the left. Would you not agree with that?
SCHMIDT: Absolutely, absolutely.
